News Archive

Big wins for women academics among research funding success

The University of Reading secured nearly £10m of research awards in the second quarter of 2017/18, latest figures show.

Projects worth £9.8 million were given the go-ahead, with funding from UK research councils, government, industry and charities adding to the total.

'These grant successes demonstrate Reading's strength in depth across a range of research subjects' -- Professor Steve Mithen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

The following are among those winning awards between November 2017 and January 2018:

• Sarah von Billerbeck, from Politics and International Relations, won £44,000 from the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Sweden to investigate performance management of leaders in international organizations.
• Fiona Ross, from Typography and Graphic Communication, won £161,000 from the Leverhulme Trust to investigate how women influenced typography across the 20^th century.
• Teresa Tavassoli, in Psychology, has been awarded £225,000 from the MQ Transforming Mental Health charity and Autistica to explore links between mental health and sensory reactivity symptoms in autistic children.
• Kimberley Watson was awarded £417,000 by the BBSRC for a project that could improve baby milk formula. The work will be carried out in Food & Nutritional Sciences and Biomedical Sciences & Biomedical Engineering.
• Clare Watt, from Meteorology, was awarded more than £1 million from the Science and Technology Funding Council (STFC) for work to investigate the changing magnetic field of the Sun, the harsh radiation environment in near-Earth space and clouds on Venus.

Professor Steve Mithen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said: "Congratulations to everyone who has received funding awards in recent months.

"These grant successes demonstrate Reading's strength in depth across a range of research subjects.

"It is also notable how many of these top awards are led by outstanding female researchers. If Reading is to continue growing as a centre for world class research, we must continue to strive towards greater equality and diversity."